Quiz: Howstuffworks

Can You Pass This Harry Potter Spelling Test?

Khadija Leon

Image: Warner Bros. Pictures, Heyday Films, 1492 Pictures

About This Quiz

Harry Potter is a series consisting of seven fantasy novels and eight adapted movies about a young boy who discovers that he is a wizard. Together with his friends (Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger), he goes on a quest to take down a dark wizard who wants to take over both the wizarding and the muggle (non-magical people) worlds, the same wizard who killed his parents when he was just a baby.

As you can imagine with any of the fantasy worlds, there are places and names which can be difficult to pronounce and even harder to spell. When it comes to the wizarding world of Harry Potter, the level of difficulty is increased because there are hundreds of spells, some of which sound like another language. Since they're fantasy novels, you can't always rely on conventional spelling rules to guide you, as the author was free to invent as she saw fit.

Do you think that you have what it takes to pass a Harry Potter spelling test? Whether you think you do, or whether you're just a new visitor to the Potterverse, you should definitely take it. Will you be sailing through it like Hermione did with her O.W.L.s or will you be struggling the whole way through. Let's find out!

How do you spell the word which refers to a non-magical person?

Mugle

Muggle

Maggle

Miggle

A muggle is a person who does not have any magical ability and was not born into a magical family. They are also referred to as No-Maj, Les Non-Magiques and The Can't-Spells.

What is the highest coin value in wizarding currency?

Gallen

Gallon

Galleon

Gellon

A galleon is the most valued coin in the Wizarding currency and it is equivalent to 17 sickles or 493 knuts. In 2001, it has been estimated that the gold coin is equivalent to 5 muggle pounds.

Dumbledore asked Professor Snape to teach Harry Potter this technique to help protect his mind. How is it spelled?

Occlumency

Occulemency

Orcularmency

Orcclemancy

Occlumency is the act of using magic to close one's mind again legilimency - the act of navigating through a person's mind and correctly interpreting the findings. Gellert Grindlewald, Albus Dumbledore and Bartie Crouch Jr. were all accomplished occlumens- people who​ practiced it.

What is the first name of Luna Lovegood’s father?

Xenophile

Xenophilip

Xennophil

Xenophilus

Xenophilus Lovegood was a British wizard who was best known for being the father of Luna Lovegood and the editor of The Quibbler magazine. He was one of few people who supported Harry and often wrote about him in The Quibbler.

Which of these words is the correct spelling of the truth serum?

Verittaserum

Veritasserum

Veritaserum

Varitaserum

Veritaserum is a truth-telling serum which forces its drinker to answer any question that they are asked truthfully. The use of the serum is strictly controlled by the Ministry of Magic but was used on Barty Crouch Jr. disguised as Alastor Moody, and by Dolores Umbridge​ on Hogwarts students.

What is the name of the correspondence course for wizard and witch beginners?

Quickspell

Kwikspell

Kwicspell

Quikspell

Kwikspell is a correspondence course which is designed to help adult witches and wizards brush up on their magical skills. It is often taken by magical people who have poor magical ability.

The wizarding form of teleportation is called …

Apirition

Aparittion

Aparation

Apparition

Apparition is a form of wizarding transportation in which the person must focus on their desired location, and soon after disappearing from their current location, they instantly reappear in the desired location.

What is the name of the sport which involves flying on broomsticks?

Quidditch

Quiditch

Kwiditch

Quidittch

Quidditch is a well-known wizarding sport which is played on broomsticks. The game's objective is to score more points than the opposing team, with the game ending when the golden snitch is caught.

Which of these spells is effective against a boggart?

Riddikulus

Ridickulus

Ridiculus

Riddiculous

Riddikulus is a charm which is used to defend against Boggarts. After it is cast, it causes the creature (which assumes the form of their worst fear) to turn into something humorous thereby counteracting its ability to terrorize the person.

What is the name of the magical network used to transport both people and messages?

Flu

Floo

Flew

Flow

The Floo Network is a mode of transportation in which witches and wizards go from place to place by using fireplaces which are connected to the Floo Network. The travelers​ need to speak the name of the desired fireplace they want to travel to, and green flames erupt upon their arrival.

What is the name of the animal which pulls the carriages at Hogwarts?

Thesthral

Testral

Threstral

Thestral

Thestrals are a breed of winged horses which have a skeletal body and reptilian facial features. They are extremely rare and they can only be seen by people who have witnessed death. They were used to pull carriages of students to Hogwarts at the beginning of the 1995 school term.

Where is Voldermort’s father buried?

Little Haggleton

Little Haglleton

Little Hagleton

Little Hagletton

Little Hagleton is a small village in Yorkshire which is best known as the place where the Riddle family lived. The local cemetery was the burial place of many members of the Riddle family and it was also the site of both Voldemort's rebirth and the site where Cedric and Harry were transported by the Triwizard cup portkey.

How do you spell Harry’s profession immediately after leaving Hogwarts?

Aurror

Auror

Aror

Arour

Aurors​ are witches and wizards who are highly trained specialist officers who are responsible for protecting magical communities from large-scale threats. Very few people qualify as the training is difficult and intensive and applicants must have excellent academic credentials. Harry became one after leaving Hogwarts and by 2007, he was the head of the office.

What is Lord Voldemort’s real name?

Tom Morvolo Riddle

Tom​ Marvolo Riddle

Tom Morvolvo Riddle

Tom Marvolo Ridle

Tom Marvolo Riddle, also known as Lord Voldemort, the Dark Lord, and He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, was a half-blooded wizard who at one​ point was one of the most powerful and dangerous dark wizards throughout history.

What is the name of the spell which extinguishes the light from your wand?

Nox

Knox

Knocks

Nocks

Nox, also known as the wand-extinguishing charm, is a spell which causes the light at the end of the caster's wand to be extinguished. It is the countercharm​ for lumos, also known as the wand-lighting charm.

What kind of animal was Buckbeak, one of Hagrid’s pets?

Hipogrif

Hippogrif

Hipogriff

Hippogriff

A hippogriff is a magical creature which has the head, front legs and wings of an eagle, and the body, hind legs and tail of a horse. Buckbeak, who was later named Witherwings, belonged to Hagrid but was unfairly sentenced to death after he attacked Malfoy, who provoked the animal. He was later saved by Harry and Hermione.

How do you spell the name of the spell which causes the victim to be hoisted up in the air by their ankles?

Levacorrpus

Levicorpus

Levicorrpus

Levicorupus

Levicorpus in a spell which, when cast, causes the victim to be hoisted into the air by their ankles. The counter-jinx for the spell is liberacorpus, and it was created by Severus Snape sometime after it​ was used on him.

What is the name of the charm used to conceal a secret inside someone’s soul?

Fiddelius charm

Fidellius char

Fidelius charm

Fideliuss charm

The Fidelius charm is an extremely difficult charm which was used to conceal a secret inside a person's soul. The person who keeps the secret is known as the secret keeper, and in the case of James and Lily Potter, the secret keeper was Peter Pettigrew.

What is the name of the creature which is referred to as the “King of the Serpents”?

Basilisk

Baskilis

Baskilis

Basillisk

The basilisk, also known as the King of the Serpents, is a giant snake-like creature which was bred by dark wizards, firstly by Herpo the Foul. Looking it directly in the eye will cause immediate​ death but indirectly looking at it will cause the person to become petrified.

Dumbledore uses this object to review memories. What is it called?

Penseive

Pencieve

Penscieve

Pensieve

The pensieve is an object which is used to review memories of the people who have siphoned their recollections into it. In the movies, memories collected by Dumbledore, Slughorn and Snape were viewed by Harry in the magical object.

What is the name of the school which Fleur Delacour attends?

Boxbatons

Beaurbatons

Beauxbatons

Beauxbattons

Beauxbatons Academy of Magic is a wizarding school which is located in the Pyrenees mountains in Southern France. Despite the movie, the school which Fleur Delacour attended is not an all-girls school, as one of its alumni is Nicholas Flamel, the creator of the Philosopher's Stone.

This character married Remus Lupin. What is her first name?

Nymphodorra

Nymffadora

Nymphadora

Nymphadorra

Nymphadora Tonks was a half-blooded metamorphmagus and witch who attended Hogwarts and also trained to become an auror. After joining the Order of the Phoenix, she met and fell in love with Remus Lupin, who she later married and had a son with. She was later killed by Bellatrix Lestrange, her maternal aunt.

What is the word used to refer to someone who can speak to and understand snakes?

Parselmouth

Parsellmouth

Parsselmouth

Parsleymouth

Parselmouth is the word which refers to an individual who is able to speak Parseltongue - the language of the serpents. Salazar Slytherin, Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort were all parselmouths.

This person succeeded Cornelius Fudge as the Minister of Magic. What was his name?

Rufius Scrimgeour

Rufus Scrimgeour

Rufiss Scrimorgeour

Rifus Scrimmgeour

Minister Rufus Scrimgeour joined the Ministry of Magic first as an Auror, and he later became the head of the department. In 1996 he succeeded Cornelius Fudge as the Minister of Magic and the following year, he was brutally tortured by Voldemort​, who wanted the location of Harry Potter.

What is the name of Dumbledore’s phoenix?

Forks

Fox

Faux

Fawkes

Fawkes is an intelligent phoenix who was Albus Dumbledore's companion and defender much throughout his life, serving him for over 50 years. After Dumbledore's death, the magical bird returned to the wild and was never heard of again.

What is the name of the ball which is predominantly used by chasers and keepers in the game of quidditch?

Quaffle

Quafle

Kwaffle

Kwafle

A quaffle is one of the balls which is used in the game of Quidditch. Approximately the size of a football, chasers carry and pass the quaffle to each other in order to get it through one of three rings. The​ keeper must then try to stop the quaffle from getting into the rings.

Neville’s grandmother gave him one of these in his first year at Hogwarts, what was it?

Rememberall

Remembrall

Rememball

Rememberal

A remembrall is a marble-sized glass ball which turns red when its owner has forgotten something and clear when what was forgotten is remembered. Nevile Longbottom received​ one as a gift from his grandmother at the beginning of the 1991- 1992 school year.

How do you spell the name of the most powerful love potion in the wizarding world?

Amorentia

Amourentitia

Amroentitia

Amortentia

Amortentia is an extremely powerful love potion which causes a powerful infatuation or obsession from the drinker. The person who is under the effect will only hold an obsession for the person who gave it to them.

Lord Voldemort has seven of these in order to attain immortality. What were they called?

Horercruz

Horocrux

Horcrux

Horrorcrux

A horcrux is an object which a dark witch or wizard uses to hide a fragment of their soul in order to attain immortality. They can be anything from living beings to inanimate objects, and the ​first step in creating these objects is to commit one of the most evil acts - committing murder.

Which of these spells is used as a cleaning spell?

Scourgify

Scorgify

Scrubify

Scrubifi

The scouring charm (scourgify) is a household charm which is used to clean objects. It has been used by many wizards both for cleaning items and as a punishment for people who swear often.

How do you correctly spell the name of the triple-decker​ bus driven by Ernie Prang?

Night bus

Kite bus

Nite bus

Knight bus

The Knight Bus is a purple triple-decker AEC Regent III RT which assists stranded witches and wizards through public transportation. Operated by driver Ernie Prang and conductor Stan Shunpike, a person can call the bus by sticking their wand hand in the air.

Which of these spells can be used to confuse your opponent?

Conffuseus

Confoundus

Conffundus

Confundus

The confundus charm (Confundo), is a charm which causes confusion in a person or object as long as it has a mind to be confused. There are varying levels of confusion, the most powerful being able to confuse a person to the point of self-harm​.

How do you spell the name of the prison where Gellert Grindlewald was held?

Nubergard

Nermengard

Numerogard

Nurmengard

Nurmengard Castle, which is located somewhere in the Austrian Alps, was originally built by Gellert Grindelwald as the base of his operations and the place where he kept his opponents. It was later used as a wizarding prison, one where he was kept until his death.

Peeves was a _________________ who was known for playing pranks on people.

Poltergeist

Poltageist

Polttergeist

Poltergistte

Peeves is a poltergeist who has been at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry since 993. By nature, poltergeists are spirits of chaos and Peeves is no different, and the only people who are able to control​ him are Albus Dumbledore and the Bloody Baron.

Dumbledore’s 3rd name is an Anglo-Saxon name which means “wolf-ruler”. How is it spelled?

Wolferic

Wolfreeck

Wulfric

Wulferick

Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore was a great wizard who after attending and teaching at Hogwarts, became the headmaster of the school. He is also known for defeating Gellert Grindelwald and for discovering the 12 uses of dragon's blood.

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